Hairpin



L. T. SAWYER Dec. 4, 1962 HAIRP IN Filed June 8, 1960 mm m 0 2 m 3 3 M mF w w a q.

INVENTO'R LESTER IT SAWYER ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 1962 3,066,685 HAERPHNLester T. Sawyer, ott Justice Hill Road, Starting, Mass. Filed June 8,1960, Ser. No, 34,635 2 Ciaims. (Qi. 1352-52) This invention relates toa new and improved molded plastic hairpin or the like, and the principalobjects of the invention reside in the provision of a light weight butstrong and resilient molded plastic hairpin which is made in one pieceand is adapted to grip and retain the hair, this hairpin being formed toprovide a trap or tnaps for the hair, the pin being generally of U shapeand preferably having a transverse curve.

Other objects of the invention include the provision of a one-piecemolded plastic hairpin as above described wherein the legs of theU-shaped hairpin are in the form of channels having grooves facingoutwardly in the same direction, the channels eliminating a large amountof the weight of the pin and thus providing for a less expensive butstrong pin, the channel shapes providing a strong, light construction ina direction parallel to the bottom and in a direction at right anglesthereto; the provision of a pin as above stated wherein the channels ofsaid legs extend around the closed end of the pin, joining eac other toform in effect a single U-shaped channel; and the provision of a pin asabove described including integrally molded resilient portionscomplementary to each other and forming hair-retaining members, saidintegrally molded portions being located between the legs of the hairpinand facing each other and being relatively thin and resilient to allowthe pin to be easily slipped into the hair and at the same timeretaining the hair due to the resiliency of said members.

The invention further relates to arrangement and cornbinations of partswhich will be hereinafter described and more particularly set forth inthe appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 isa view in front elevation showing the hairpin;

FIG. 2 is an edge view thereof, part being in section;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 33 of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 4 is a section similar to FIG. 3 but showing a modification.

The pin which forms the subject matter of the present invention is ahairpin which is integrally molded in a single piece as by plasticinjection molding. It comprises in general a pair of legs which aregenerally indicated at it and 12. These legs are joined at their ends at1 3 and thus the pin is in the shape of an elongated U. The legs iii and12 are provided with solid points at 16, 16 and of course these pointsenter the hair first, the closed portion 14 forming a fingerhold forinserting the hairpin into the hair. The part at 14 may be reenforced byan enlargement at 18 but the legs ltd and 12 have a certain inherentresiliency due to the nature of the material of which they are made.

The legs 14 and 12 for the major portion of the lengths thereof are madein the form of U-shaped channels and these are indicated at Zii and 22.These channels are also joined in the closed region of the pin 14 asindicated by the reference numeral 24, so that the channels at 2%) and22 are in effect a single channel, also in the form of a U, but thesechannels terminate at 26, 26 and thereafter the legs It) and 12 aresolid.

Referring to FIG. 3, it will be seen that each channel 20 and 22includes a pair of more or less parallel legs 28 and 3'9 and aconnecting web or bottom member 32; and the members 23 and 30 as well asthe bottom members 32 of the channels extend around in the region at 14so that the entire channel formation is of U shape.

This construction saves an appreciable amount of plastic material whichwould otherwise take up the space of the channels 26) and 22, but theomission of this material does not substantially lessen the strength ofthe legs of the pin because of the shape of the channels which providestrength in a plane parallel to the bottom portions 32 of the channelsand in planes at right angles thereto, i.e., in the planes of orparallel to the leg portions thereof at 23 and 3d. The legs 1t? and 12are somewhat resilient so that they may be slightly spread.

integrally molded with each leg it) and 12, there is a thinnerhair-retaining member which is elongated in the direction of the legs 10and 12 and is of course integrally secured thereto at the ends thereof.These hair-retaining members are indicated in general by the referencenumerals 34 and 36 and each one is elongated but integrally connected atits ends as at 37 and 38 to the interior portions of the parts 33 of thechannels 20 and 22. The members 34 and 36 are complementary to eachother and are formed with concave portions at 40 and 42 forming a hairtrap or hair-retaining member intermediate the ends of the hairpin. Byreason of the fact that the members 34 and 36 extend away from eachother towards the closed end 14 of the hairpin, there is another trap at44 and this trap of course serves to receive and retain most of the hairwhich is received in the pin.

The complementary portions 46 and 42 which are bowed away from eachother are also however separate from the channel members 2d and 22. andthis provides a certain amount of resiliency in these members,regardless of the resilience in the members it} and 12. It is to benoted that the members 34- and as are thinner than the main leg portionslid and 12 of the pin, so that in most cases a relatively small bank ofhair will be retained and held by the hairpin, i.e., the hairpin will beretained to the head when used with a small hank of hair. Where a largehank of hair is to be forced between the legs of the pin, the resiliencyof the legs 10 and 12 is utilized to receive an amount of hair whichwill fill the trap 44 and if necessary, the smaller trap indicated at46.

It will be seen that this invention provides an extremely effective andefficient hairpin which, however, economizes on the weight and materialused but at the same time the construction is such as to effectivelyretain the strength of the pin. Also the combination of the thinnermembers 34 and 36 and the legs it) and 12, etc., is such as to pro videa very efficient hair-retaining means.

Also, the channeling may appear at both sides, see the pin 3% in MG. 4.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what 1 claim is:

1. A plastic one-piece hairpin comprising a pair of relatively Wide legsjoined together at corresponding ends forming a closed end for the pin,each leg being elongated and provided with longitudinal indentationstherein, said indentations forming grooves extending along said legs,said grooves appearing at at least one side of said pin, said groovesbeing connected together at the closed end of the pin, and correspondingand cooperating hair-retaining members integrally connected with respectto said legs at the interior portions thereof, said hair-retainingmemers being relatively light-weight and resilient and allowing the hairto be easily slipped in and retained therein.

2. The plastic one-piece hairpin of claim 1 wherein the grooves appearat both sides of the pin.

(References on foliowing page) References filied in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 750,579 Bowers Jan. 26, 1904 887,885Whitney May 19, 1908 1,085,212 Kotner Jan. 27, 1914 1,337,039 BruderApr. 13, 1920 41 Rhein et a1 Nov. 22, 1921 De Julio June 4, 1946Wernette Aug. 22, 1950 FORE'EGN PATENTS Great Britain i May 7, 1903

